---
title: "Retainer and scope letter for an injury claim"
url: "https://ailawframework.com/precedents/personal-injury-and-compensation/retainer-and-scope-letter"
type: "precedent"
site: "AI Law Framework"
id: "a21-retainer-and-scope-letter"
area_id: "A21"
kind: "letter"
ai_level: "yellow"
version: 1
task_ids: ["A21-T1-R15", "A21-T1-R4"]
law_stated_as_at: "2026-10-23"
---

# Retainer and scope letter for an injury claim

> Letter telling the client what the firm will do, what it will not do, who will do the work, and how health information will be handled. It is not the costs agreement, which is sent with it and has to be read as well.

Canonical page: https://ailawframework.com/precedents/personal-injury-and-compensation/retainer-and-scope-letter  
Law stated as at: 2026-10-23

Site index for agents: https://ailawframework.com/llms.txt

## Key facts

- Kind: Letter. A letter or email you adapt and send.
- Practice area: [Personal Injury & Compensation](https://ailawframework.com/precedents/personal-injury-and-compensation.md)
- Jurisdictions: Victoria, Queensland, New South Wales
- AI level: Yellow. You and the tool draft together, with you directing. You check every statement you rely on.
- Law stated as at: 2026-10-23
- Status: Maintained. Checked on 2026-10-23 against the 4 authorities it cites, for Victoria, Queensland and New South Wales.

## When to use it

Use when the firm agrees to act for an injured person, a dependant or an estate. Send the costs agreement and disclosure at the same time. Do not use this letter as a costs agreement, and do not use it to decline a matter.

## Used for these tasks

- [Triage a new injury enquiry against scheme eligibility](https://ailawframework.com/practice/personal-injury-and-compensation/triage-a-new-injury-enquiry-against-scheme-eligibility.md)
- [Map statutory entitlements under the applicable compensation scheme](https://ailawframework.com/practice/personal-injury-and-compensation/map-statutory-entitlements-under-the-applicable-compensation-scheme.md)

## How AI may be used

The tool may assemble this letter from the scope the lawyer has marked, and the lawyer checks the scope, the conflicts result and the costs cross-reference before it is sent.

**AI may:**

- Insert the injury date, the schemes the lawyer has ticked, and the name of the responsible lawyer
- Attach a list of the next steps the lawyer has already decided
- Point the client to the costs agreement that is enclosed, without restating the figures

**AI must not:**

- Must not set fees, an uplift or an estimate in this letter
- Must not say the firm will act in a scheme or a court the lawyer has not ticked
- Must not state that a conflict check is clear unless the lawyer has recorded that result

**The lawyer checks:**

- The scope matches the decision to act, including any statutory benefits that are excluded
- A costs agreement and disclosure that meets the Uniform Law or the Legal Profession Act 2007 (Qld), as applicable, goes with this letter
- The client is told health information stays in the firm's approved tools (ASCR r 9; APP 11), and that a loss likely to cause serious harm is assessed under the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme

## Authorities

- [Legal Profession Uniform Law (NSW) s 174(1), (3) and (6) (disclosure of basis and estimate, steps to confirm understanding and consent, disclosure in writing)](https://classic.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/nsw/consol_act/lpul333/s174.html)
- [Legal Profession Act 2007 (Qld) s 308(4) (what a Queensland disclosure must cover)](https://classic.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/qld/consol_act/lpa2007179/s308.html)
- [Legal Profession Uniform Law Australian Solicitors' Conduct Rules 2015 r 9](https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/sl-2015-0244#sec.9)
- [OAIC, APP guidelines Chapter 11, APP 11.1](https://www.oaic.gov.au/privacy/australian-privacy-principles/australian-privacy-principles-guidelines/chapter-11-app-11-security-of-personal-information)

## Full text and drafting notes

The full text and the drafting notes are not part of this public page. Signed-in firm accounts can read them at https://ailawframework.com/precedents/personal-injury-and-compensation/retainer-and-scope-letter and through the signed-in MCP connector https://ailawframework.com/mcp/firm.

*Practice guidance for planning and review. Confirm current primary sources and the requirements of the actual matter. This is general information, not legal advice.*